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I need to find Willow.
I need to grab what little belongings we have and get the hell out of here.
Maybe Bambi will take us back into town. Maybe she’ll agree to take us shopping and I’ll give her the slip once we’re in a large enough crowd.
Or maybe I’ll hotwire a car and crash my way out of here.
I don’t know what the plan is going to be, but I know I have to settle on one before I reach Willow. She’ll wonder what’s wrong, and I don’t want her to accidentally set off any alarms or let anyone know that… thatIknow.
Willow is with Bambi in her new room, towel-dried and wearing one of Bambi’s tank tops tied at the back of her neck like a little sundress. They’re laughing and playing a clapping game that keeps tangling after every few tries. I almost don’t want to interrupt her fun. In a lifetime of violent chaos, she deserves this moment of happiness. Like a little oasis in the middle of endless desert.
But maybe that’s just life, you know?
Maybe it’s all just sun-beaten sand and jagged rocks and cacti that steal all the water away and stab you with their thorns if you get tangled up with them.
I shake my head and focus.
We need to get the fuck out of here.
“Hi, Mommy!” Willow grins at me and waves at where I’m standing in the doorway.
“She’s quite the natural swimmer!” Bambi rubs her head and straightens, smiling at me. That smile fades when she sees my face. “Clara? What’s wrong?”
Everything.
But I can’t tell her that. So I think of the first excuse that sounds plausible. “I… er, nothing.” I force a smile and return Willow’s wave. “I’m just tired. I’ll be next door if you need me.”
“Okay, Mommy!”
Bambi doesn’t buy my bullshit. I can see it in her eyes. But she doesn’t stop me, either. She just smiles, nods, and assures me that they’ll be fine.
I wish I could believe her.
But I know that I can’t. I can’t trust her, and I definitely can’t trust Demyen. I realize, with an agony in my chest that threatens to turn into a sob, that I should have never trusted Demyen in the first place. If I’d been smart enough to be wary, I wouldn’t ever have fallen into his trap.
This is all a trap. This home. His protection. His affection.
He’s lured me into his prison, and it’s only a matter of time before he reveals his true colors. His true intent. His true plans.
This is his prison, and I am his prisoner.
My daughter, my sweet innocent daughter, is caught up in his snare.
And it’s all my fault.
15
DEMYEN
“Stop smiling. You’re scaring me.”
I roll my eyes at my sarcastic second-in-command, but I refuse to wipe the grin from my face. “I’ve got her,” I explain. “I’ve finally found her.”
Pavel slowly turns his swivel chair in place as he lets it sink in. Then he spins, sudden and swift, to gape at me. “Her? You mean…? No. No. No fucking way.”
I nod. “She’s at home. Right now.”
“At home?Yourhome?” When he sees my nod, he claps a hand over his mouth and laughs. “This is huge!” He instantly sobers up and tilts his head to one side. “Did you tell Hudson?”
